Scam Uncovered in Nepal’s Trekking Industry
Nepali authorities are investigating claims that some mountain guides drugged foreign trekkers, staged medical emergencies, and profited from fake helicopter rescues in the Himalayas.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has charged 32 individuals and arrested nine for allegedly targeting at least 171 foreign climbers between 2022 and 2025, according to a report by the Kathmandu Post. Investigators found that guides mixed baking soda into food to make trekkers feel ill, served raw chicken, and even served food contaminated with rat feces. When victims experienced symptoms like nausea or dizziness, they were supposedly coerced into expensive airlifts.
Furthermore, some guides offered to help tourists fake illnesses to avoid returning to base camps, leading to helicopter rides. The scheme reportedly included training guides and hotel staff to manipulate trekkers who experienced common altitude sickness symptoms into believing they were in critical danger and needed immediate evacuation.
The Kathmandu Post cites the CIB, indicating that the operation was organized around kickback agreements, with hospitals allegedly redirecting 20% to 25% of insurance payouts to trekking companies and helicopter operators. Occasionally, tourists were even offered cash incentives to participate in schemes. Police indicated that operators submitted multiple insurance claims for shared flights, inflating totals through falsified medical and flight records.
The financial fallout from this scam has been significant. The Mountain Rescue Department recorded 171 fraudulent rescues from 1,248 charter flights, amassing around $10.31 million, while the Nepal Charter Bureau filed 75 false claims totaling $8.2 million. Additionally, Everest Experience and Assistance was linked to 71 suspicious rescues across 601 charter flights, leading to claims of $11.04 million. Prosecutors are pursuing a fine of 1.51 billion rupees (about $10.1 million). Notably, 23 of the 32 charged individuals remain at large.
Reports reveal a broad network of trekking companies, helicopter services, hospitals, and agencies orchestrating fake evacuations and inflating claims to extract millions from global insurance companies. This investigation initially surfaced in 2018 when the Kathmandu Post Office highlighted suspicions around fake rescues, prompting a comprehensive 700-page government report and vows for reform. CIB Director-General Manoj Kumar KC stated that the lack of effective enforcement allowed the fraud to escalate, noting that when criminal activities go unaddressed, they tend to proliferate.
Despite international media focusing on Everest, the majority of the victims were not climbers attempting the peak but trekkers on well-known routes like the Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp Trail, as noted by Explorer’s Web.
